UK court dismisses Prince Harry's privacy lawsuit against Daily Mail publisher

Prince Harry has lost his privacy lawsuit against Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, after a UK High Court judge ruled that the claimants had failed to prove allegations of unlawful information gathering.

Prince Harry loses his lawsuit against Daily Mail

The Duke of Sussex was among a group of prominent public figures who launched legal proceedings in 2022, accusing the newspaper publisher of engaging in a range of illegal practices to obtain private information. The claimants alleged that journalists working for the titles had unlawfully accessed personal information through methods including phone hacking, tapping landline telephones and placing surveillance devices in homes and vehicles.

Joining Prince Harry in the case were musician Elton John, filmmaker David Furnish, actors Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost, campaigner Doreen Lawrence and former Liberal Democrat MP Sir Simon Hughes. The group sought damages over claims that their privacy had been systematically violated over several years.

Associated Newspapers consistently denied the allegations throughout the proceedings, maintaining that the claims were unfounded. Following an 11-week trial earlier this year, the High Court ruled in favour of the publisher, concluding that the claimants had not established their case.

In his judgment, Judge Nicklin said the claimants were “open to criticism” for the way aspects of their case had been presented. He specifically referred to allegations that employees of Associated Newspapers had lied during the Leveson Inquiry, the judge-led public inquiry established to examine the culture, ethics and practices of the British press in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal.

The court did not uphold the allegations of unlawful information gathering, bringing the case to a close in favour of the publisher. A separate hearing to determine legal costs will be held at a later date. The litigation is estimated to have cost around $40 million.

The ruling represents the latest legal setback for Prince Harry in his continuing efforts to challenge sections of the British media over alleged invasions of privacy. In previous cases, he secured a partial victory against Mirror Group Newspapers over unlawful information gathering before reaching a settlement, while News Group Newspapers also settled claims brought by the Duke without a full trial.

Prince Harry also previously sued Associated Newspapers for libel over an article concerning his legal challenge against the UK government regarding his security arrangements after stepping back from royal duties. He later withdrew the libel claim, while separately losing his legal challenge over the withdrawal of publicly funded police protection.

The judgment comes as Prince Harry is in the United Kingdom to mark the one-year countdown to the 2027 Invictus Games, the international sporting event for wounded, injured and sick military personnel and veterans that he founded. A hearing to determine the costs arising from the privacy lawsuit will take place at a later date.